William f



(No Model.)

- W. I. Z. DESAN'I'.

ELBGTRIG RAILWAY SIGNAL.

Patented Sept. 29, 1891.

il/iw-woeo ld UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM F. Z. DESANT, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,525, dated September 29, 1891.

Application filed September 26, 1890. Serial No. 366,269. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. Z. DESANT, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have made a new and useful invention in Electrical Railway-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates, particularly, to electrical railwayesignals known in the art as block-signals, and is directed to improvements upon a system of signals of this type disclosed in another pending application filed of even date herewith and bearing Serial No. 366,268; and it has for its object the production of an audible signal on board a moving train which shall warn the engineer in the event of his having failed to see the semaphores or visual signals located at the ends of the blocks.

In the prior application above referred to I have disclosed and claimed a system of block-signals in which visual signals or semaphores are actuated through the agency of electrical means and caused to vibrate or move with such certainty as to clearly indi- Gate to the engineer the condition of the block in o which his train is passing.

My invention will be fully understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan or diagrammatic view of one track of a double-track system in which the trains always run in the one direction, as indicated by the arrows, the second or return track not being illustrated herein. Fig. 2 is a side elcvational view of a locomotive and the cab-signal apparatus, together with a stationary induction apparatus located in the road-bed of therailway. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view of the circuit-controlling apparatus operated by the visual signal or semaphore.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, in all of which like letters of reference represent like parts wherever used, R R are the rails of the track, which are illustrated and divided into block-sections by insulating-spaces.

B B are the signaling-batteries, which are joined to diagonal sets of rails in succeeding blocks.

w w are electrical conductors connecting the distant ends of the rails R to the signaling-relays M carried by signals-posts E E and located near the entrance of each block.

M M are electric motors having their armatures geared to signals or semaphores S S, (shown in their lowermost position, indicating danger, normally,) said semaphores being delicately balanced by balance-weights and signal-lenses L of well-known form.

Hare local circuits including the motors M, batteries 13, and armatures A, normally held open by their retractile springs s.

The apparatus thus far described constitutes the subject-matter of my other pending application above referred to, and is onlydescribed here in order that its operation may be understood in connection with the cabsignaling apparatus, which is hereinafter claimed, both specifically and in combination with the above-described mechanism.

E is a suitable bearing attached to the signal-post E or E and carrying a sliding rod R, normally held in its upper position by a coil-spring g and provided with a movable electrical contact a, adapted to contact with an insulated fixed electrical contact 12, secured in the path of the former and attached to a conductor'w', which passes to an inductorium M located in the road-bed in inductive proximity with a secondary induction-coil M", carried beneath the locomotive L as shown in Fig. 2, the other end of the conductor a" being secured to the metallic or conducting bearing E The upper end of the rod R lies in the path of the semaphore S and is adapted to be held in a depressed position by said semaphore, so that the circuit of the local battery B will be permanently closed so long as the semaphore remains in its lowermost position, indicating danger.

to 10 (see Fig. 2) are insulated conductors joined to the opposite ends of the induction-- coil M and including in their circuit a signal-magnet M secured in the engineers cab, the armature A of which is adapted to se cure one of a series of releasing-levers niechanically connected with the whistle to or other obvious signaling apparatus of the engine.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The visual signals or semaphores 5 all stand normally at danger or in their lowermost position, and the circuits from the local batteries B are therefore all permanently closed through the contacts a and b, controlled by the push-rod R. Any train, therefore, on entering block I will close the circuit of battcry B through the rails R, conductors to, and relay-magnet M which latter in turn momentarily closes the local circuit of battery B, thereby causing the motor M to lift the semaphore S and allowing the spring g to act upon push-rod R and break the circuit of battery 13 between contacts a and b, provided there is no train in advance upon block Z, in which event the current from battery 13 will be short-circuited through the axles of said preceding train, and the signal or semaphore will therefore remain in its lowermost position, indicating danger, as disclosed in my other pending application. If the signal remains at danger and the circuit from battery B be closed, the instant the inductorium M beneath the locomotive L, is carried through the inductive field of the magnet M located in the road-bed, a secondary electrical current will be set up through. the conductors 10 of sufficient strength to energize magnet M thereby causing the magnet A to release the chain of levers which controls the whistle to and giving to the engineer an audible warning that there is either a train in advance upon the section or a broken rail, and thereby warning him to stop. If block Z is clear and the train is running rapidly, the repeated closures of the circuit by the wheels of the passing train will continue to lift the semaphore, the magnets M being too sluggish to release their armatures for rapid successive closures of the circuit, and after the entire train has left battery B it will settle back to its original position of danger and a succeeding train will be warned of the condition of this section as it enters section Z, and so in succession the several signals are operated.

It will be understood that the relay-magnets M are very sluggish in their nature, so that the retractile springs s of the armatures A will only withdraw said armatures after definite periods, such as will occur during the passage of two sets of car-trucks. In other words, these relay-magnets M are so sluggish that if a train is rapidly entering a block the rapid successive closures of the circuits through the relays will cause the signals to be raised steadily to their highest point, indicating safety, and if a train enters somewhat slowly, allowing the magnets to release their armatures after each break of the circuit by the wheels there will be imparted to the semaphores a waving motion; but if there is a train upon. the section in advance the semaphore will always remain at its lowermost position, indicating danger.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a railway-signal, the combination of the following elements: a series of electricallydivided blocks having an electrical generator and a relay for each block, a local circuit for each relay, including an electrical motor geared to a semaphore, a second local circuit for each signal, including an inductorium located near the road-bed, and circuit making and breaking devices connected to the semaphore, with an audible signal carried by a moving train and connected in circuit with a second inductorium adapted to be carried in close proximity to the first-named inductorium, substantially as described.

2. A railway-signaling system consisting of a series of semaphores or visual signals normally indicating danger, a series of relays electrically connected through conductors to the rails of the track, a generator for each relay, a local circuit for each relay, including an electrical motor geared to a semaphore or visual signal, a second local circuit operatively connected with each visual signal and including an electro-magnetic device located near the road-bed, and a signaling device carried by a moving train and operatively connected with a second electro-magnetic device carried in close proximity to the road-bed, substantially as described.

3. In a system of railway signaling, the combination of the following elements: insulated lines of rails divided into blocks, electrical conductors joining the distant ends of said blocks with relays, diagonal conductors joining sets of rails in said blocks, local cir cuits for each of said relays, including each an electric motor, a semaphore geared to each motor and standing normally at danger, additional local circuits held normally closed by the semaphores and including inductoriums located in the road-bed, and additional signaling devices carried by moving trains, each of said signaling devices being held normally out of action by the armature of an electro'magnet included in circuit with an inductorium located beneath the train and in close proximity to the station ary ind uctoriu ms, substantially as described.

Witnesses:

GEO. II. STAYNER, Jr., A. V. HINEY. 

